Chris and Jane like to plan their holidays in advance and I really enjoy bringing their ideas to life. It was inspiring to work on their Costa Rica and Nicaragua adventure, and I love how they immerse themselves into a country taking advantage of local tours. Unfortunately, due to local unrest, Nicaragua became a no travel destination, which gave some added time to further explore Costa Rica and especially its diverse wildlife. Here’s how they found it...
Our choice of holiday destination in 2019 was Costa Rica. We were extremely eager for a wildlife adventure and approached Amanda with a view to tailor making a journey around what we were hoping to see.
She pieced together several options with suitable tour operators for us to consider and discuss further before we settled on an itinerary that initially included a visit to Nicaragua until the Foreign Office guidance precluded it as a destination. Amanda was once again quickly on hand to provide solutions for alternative options to fill the gap.
Costa Rica is a country of many contrasts. It is two and half times the size of Wales (every small country seems to be measured in this unit!) but has extensive coastlines with both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean as well as a central spine of mountains rising to 2,000 metres. The country is not rich in minerals but has built a strong eco-tourism business, particularly based around its extensive range of unique wildlife.
There is the option to relax luxuriously on its beautiful beaches, like many of the American tourists choose to, but we relished the opportunity to travel around and see its many birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
We arrived into Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica's capital city, San José. San José sits in the middle of the country so some travel is involved to reach the coastal regions.
Our stay on this leg of the journey was at Sarapiquis Rainforest Lodge where we undertook our first night-time guided nature walk, observing many of the cautious dwellers of the forest that avoid the daylight, including the fearsome bullet ants with their excruciatingly painful bite. Fortunately, some careful work with a stick was all our guide needed to give us a close-up view!
The following morning, we were up bright and early for bird watching at the nearby La Selva Biological Station. To stand even in the car park with only our guide present and see a range of exotic birds in the trees all around was truly unforgettable. A knowledgeable guide with a binocular scope is invaluable and we were subsequently delighted with the quality of our simple mobile phone photographs.
We reached the Caribbean coast in Tortuguero National Park, a region where the many rivers, tributaries and canals are ideal for boat-borne exploration. The local guide keeps his eyes peeled for anything interesting on the banks which can vary from aquatic birds (such as herons and egrets) to reptiles (iguanas, basilisks, caimans and crocodiles) and monkeys (capuchin, howler and spider). During a walk on land in the area, you might spot a variety of snakes and if lucky a sloth.
A return to the high ground provided the chance to visit the arid region of the Arenal volcano and the very different ecology of the Monteverde Cloudforest. This latter region is considerably cooler than much of Costa Rica, home to many hummingbirds and one of the most spectacular of the nation’s birds, the Resplendent Quetzal. Taking the trail with a local guide will help get the most of this experience.
Our holiday ended with a flight south to the Osa Peninsula. Bounded by the pacific, this area is another where the range of animals and birds differs, being more strongly influenced by migration from South America.
Our accommodation, the El Remanso Rainforest Wildlife Lodge, was the most relaxed and luxurious of our holiday, as befitting our last stop. Activities included guided and self-guided walks, one of which provided us with a private viewing of mother and young spider monkey playing and eating in the trees just in front of us.
Each stop on our Costa Rican adventure offered us luxury accommodation with good food, expert assistance from the staff and local guides, and an amazing variety of the most colourful wildlife that you could wish to find anywhere - the real stars of the holiday.
Chris Barnard & Jane Probitts